Couch Experience

One night, just the other night ;), Erin and I were sitting on our couches watching "Holiday in Handcuffs," and I realized I have been lying on the couch too long. So I decided to try a couple of positions to make myself more comfortable. Sometimes, when I am in a restless mood, i like to lay on my back and put my feet up on the back of the couch. I like to put my feet where they don't belong (no you sickos) I mean I walk my feet along the wall or Erin likes to open the window with her feet. The next time I'm bored, I'd like to try something new with my feet. Yes, isn't it sad that I'm having this conversation about my couch habits? But, it was so interesting the other night.
And then I was also thinking that I am blessed to live in Bethel. I complain all the time about walking to school and blah blah, but I think I need to start appreciating my circumstances. People in the villages do not get to walk around as much as we do because... uh, where can they walk? There are the boardwalks, and walking to and from the store or school... but that's about it. However, I can walk practically everywhere; to the store, post office (if I'm feeling lucky) school, Cultural Center, or to a park. I would be so restless in a village because I wouldn't be able to walk around. And, if you do happen to slip off the boardwalks, you'd sink into a foot of water or some mysterious sponginess. Well, I have noticed that I like to blabber about and waste time talking about things that are probably no significance to people who read this. But, isn't that the point of a blog?

I'll Be Home for Christmas

Yes, I'm counting down until I can go home for Christmas. I am making a list of places I need to eat out at when I get home. For instance, here are a couple of places I really need to go to: Olive Garden, Texas Roadhouse, the Whiskey Barrel, Applebees, some Chinese Buffet place (I'm not picky), Quality Dairy (for icecream), and Wal-Mart (no, not to eat at, but to shop to my little hearts content. You know, I used to hate going to Wal-Mart, but then I realized... God Bless Wal-Mart and their low prices). I will also be spending a lot of my time and the theater. I need to catch up on some of my movies. So, Becky and I will be at Celebration every afternoon :) I mean, of course I'll spend time with the family. But, while everyone else is working, that's when I get to have fun! Plus, I'm excited to see my nephews. I bet they have grown so much. I get to see my grandpa (did you know that blind people can hunt in Michigan? I thought about it, and it's true because my grandpa is practically blind and he just went bear hunting and deer hunting. He's a good blind hunter because he did shoot a deer and a bear.... so, blind people can hunt well). I'm counting down the days until I can go home. So far I have.... 18 days.

Newtok

We finally made it to Newtok after "iffy" weather and a plane that had malfunctions. The town has about 400 people in it. Angie and I are visiting my friend Becky from my hometown. We've already had a group get-to-gether with some natives and friends, we've had a Thanksgiving feast with the community and had a small get-to-gether with other teachers. So far, it's been a wonderful Thanksgiving. Becky has shown me how to use the incinolet :) I'll take a picture of it and post it later, because it is quit a contraption! We've been invited to steam too. I'm a little nervous but excited! They say that when you steam, you feel the cleanest you've ever felt when you are done. So, I can't wait. I'll probably write all about that too! So far, we are having a wonderful time! I just hope the weather stays clear.

Morning Walk

I walk to school every morning and it's really dark still at 7:30 am. I have to wear my snow boots, snowpants, winter coat, gloves, cleats, and two hats. Then I have to lug on my backpack and a smaller bag on my shoulder. So, I'm loaded down with stuff and I head out the door for my 1 mile, 1/2 hour walk. Even though it's a tiring walk, it is also a gorgeous walk. Because it is so dark, the stars come out so clearly. I can point out stars that I would've had trouble finding at home. I found Orion's Belt the other morning and the Big Dipper. The sky is so big and close. I can't wait until we get to see the Northern Lights. I heard you can see them better in the winter. However, even though there is two inches of snow on the ground, I think it is still fall here. So when I walk to school, I'm trying to look at the sky, balance my bags, trying not to slip on the ice, and also paying attention to the cabs and cars that pass so I don't get hit. But boyo! It is a workout walking to and from school every morning. When I finally get to school I look like a cherry tomato. The wind is wicked and I haven't bought a scarf or face warmer yet, so my cheeks and neck get the nasty blast of cold wind. My feet are toasty warm and so is my body. I get to school in a light sweat sometimes (I know, yuck!) because of the hard trudge through the snow. It's sad but sometimes I feel like I need a nap at 8:30 in the morning because my walk tired me out. (Hey, did this turn into a whine session or what?) But hey, I'm getting a good workout to and from school. However, if I decide to stay here longer I've got to get a truck!... or a snowmachine.

Turkey Plans

Since I can't go home for Thanksgiving, I thought it would be nice to visit Becky in Newtok. Its about an hour away on a snowmachine ride I think. Someone's mom in the village is coming to visit and is going to cook an awesome dinner, so, it'll be great to eat some home cookin'. I told my mom where I was going for Thanksgiving and she asked if they eat turkey or whale for dinner.:) I explained that we'll be having a traditional dinner (thank goodness). Thanksgiving isn't the same without turkey, and mashed potatoes.... and football:) So, Angie and I will be 'leaving on a jet plane'.... to Newtok as soon as school gets out on Wednesday the 21st. I have to make lesson plans for the next week incase the weather is bad and I don't make it back on Sunday. I'm excited to go because Becky has told me that her village is crumbling into the ocean and they have to rebuild a new one! So, it will be neat to see what the village looks like.

Ice Toss

It was a busy Saturday. We had to get a flu shot, go to a Candle Light Party, and then go to a Halloween party. I thought the candle party was at 3 when it was actually at 5, so we had a few hours to kill. Erin and I decided to go down to the river and crack some ice. So, we spent about an hour throwing ice chips and rocks into the ice. We also tried to throw rocks onto giant ice flows that were heading down river. Erin got a couple of rocks on the ice flow, where as my pictching arm wasn't in prime shape so I couldn't throw past the shore. It was fun being destructive for an hour or so. but, I started getting cold 'cause I didn't wear all of my proper winter clothing, so we had to head to the Log Cabin for some coffee. Then we just sat there until it was close to 5 and we could leave again. The candle party was fun. I ended up spending money I probably shouldn't have, but some of the stuff was for Christmas presents. So, I did a good deed. After the candle party, we traveled over to a Halloween party that was rockin'. It was a good time, but I wasn't feeling well, so I mostly laid around the whole time. Erin, however, had the time of her life:) It was nice to get to know people outside of school. Overall, it was a great, busy weekend. Now, since it's Sunday, I have to get down to business and start all the parent/teacher conference work.

Packers

You know, if it weren't for football, we would never see each other. Football brings us together. "Come together, right now, over football..." Monday Night Football occurs right after school, so we all have to scramble around to get to the tv on time. It can be so lonely here, so I take any opportunity to do something, anything, with someone! But, now I may be regretting that because I've been really tired lately. I think I'm over doing my volunteer time. So, in the words of Erin, "I'm going to punch the next person who wants me to volunteer." I mean, I won't punch, I'll just gently turn them down. I think all the carnival stuff wore me out! Plus, now that we have alcohol in the house, all I want to do is stay home on the weekends and... relax;) I've been trying to get my lesson plans done before the weekend so I don't have to trek all the way to school on the weekends. You know, alcohol brings people together, so.... I'll be seeing people either way-- stay home and drink with buddies, or volunteer. :) you know which choice I would take, right? But, my whole point to the story was that football is a great excuse to hang out and drink beer and eat beans that will keep the roomie up allllll night;)

Halloween Fun

So this Halloween, I felt a little cheap and decided to make my own costume. I went way back into my memory and thought about the year my mom made me a bumble bee costume. I thought, perfect! So, a bumble bee I shall be:) We had out school carnival on a Saturday afternoon. What a long day. It was fun and I got some great pictures of my kids, but I was happy when it was all over. We also volunteered at the High School carnival. We were ticket sellers! "Tickets, twenty for ten bucks!" Yeah, I was rollin' in it! But soon my voice started getting hoarse so I decided to stop, get some water, and go through the haunted house. It was great. It was a quick run through though because we were in a group with teenagers (and I was with Angie, so of course she was a scardy-cat too;).

And, the other pictures are just of Erin and I being normal. I asked her to come to my school and help me finish my halloween projects. And one of the things I was going to make with the kids were hand spiders with google eyes. So, naturally we had to play with them.

Alaskan B-Day

It was great. I tested my kids all day, ate at my favorite resteraunt (sp?- I know, it's sad) Shoguns and I got a yummy cake!:) I was losing weight walking back and forth to school, so Erin decided to get me a bunch of candy and some pop to plump me back up to my original size... so thanks Erin! I came home and thought Erin was messing with my "sheet" 'cause my bed was all lumpy. So I was like, "what the piss?" and she said, "Jesus Sadie, look under your covers!" So I found sweets under my sheets and a 12 pack behind my pillow.

The 20's are going by so fast! Pretty soon it will be 30.... and I better have a hubby and kids by then!;) I also got boxes in the mail.... man, getting mail is better than "better than sex cake!" I got my HP book, pringles, candles, cereal, and fruit roll ups my mom wanted me to give to my kids (ha ha mom, they get enough snacks!)... no, I really brought them to school and shared like a good girl.

Tundra Walk

We are house/dog sitting for someone in a few weeks, and all three of us were invited to dinner. It was a scrumpt-u-ous dinner (moose loaf, samon, fried potatos, the fixin's and stuff). Anywho, after dinner we went for a walk with their dog BJ (Black Jack). It was the bestest ever walk I've been on since I've been here. We walked along a trail out into the tundra and it was gorgeous. There was about 2 inches of snow on the ground and some plants still had that soft frost on them. And of course I fogot to bring my camera. We didn't put a collar on the dog so he was running around crazy like, and we were throwing a stick around for him to catch. We came up to this small hill and on the other side were the Kilbuck Mountains. They were so pretty, you could see the snow tops and they were about 100 miles away. We walked around some more and I came across this bushy part of the trail and I spied.... dun dun dun... a birds nest! Cool, I thought, I found some nature. Then we got the idea to pluck it from the tree and bring it home so I could show my class. It was an adventure getting it out of the tree, but I wrangled it free. It did cross my mind if this was legal or not because there are so many dang laws here about wildlife that I was afraid at first to even take it. But, I was assured it was okay because it's the winter now and birds do not need their nests:) So we took it home. It was a great walk. I got to break in my new winter boots, and let me just say they are the most comfy boots I've ever worn in the winter. The snow is already melting, but I can't wait until it snows again. Enough of this muddy crap. I want snow and "blue skies smilin' at me." So, when we house/dog sit, I can't wait to go back out there on the trail and hunt for mouse tracks again.

Beer Walk, I Mean Bear Walk

I really don't have much to type about, so I've lowered myself to posting embarrassing pictures of people. Here is my first, no second victim (because Angie came first with her "spitting" picture). Erin decided to show us her "bear" dance, but I've labeled it "beer" dance because that's just what it was. She reminded me of that one actor from American Pie- Stifler- in the movie The Rundown with the Rock (my old hubby). In this jungle scene, he tricks the Rock and starts to caw like a crow and dance like one. So, everytime I think of Erin dancing that way, I think of the Rock. So, where the "beer" label comes in is..... well, I have no real reason. I just thought it would be a neat play on words. I told you I have nothing to type about! I'll think of something better next time. I just had to get back at Erin for putting snotty rags in my bed, and treating me like a little sh*t she needs to flush, and pushing me down the slippery steps onto the hard wood porch.... etc, etc.

So, the real reason (Erin reminds me) that she did the "bear" dance was because my grandpa shot a bear a little while ago. It was just a 200 lb bear so I wondered if that was big or not. Erin said, "Well, that bear is smaller than I am, but if it were walking on it's hind legs, it would be this big!" And I said, "Hmmm, you're so right!"--- this isn't how it went, but I think what I already typed is so much funni-er.

Sadie's Account

Dear people
Due to a steady supply of alcohol from the secretary (snort) we had a suceesful ladies night. I was dancing, drinking, singing. I brought cake. Oh yeah I forgot that cake. Remind me to get it later. I talked. We had shots. We had margaritas. We had red beer. Miss McDaniel was ready to go home. She needed a ride, but not from a person helping me, or a cab, from you know who. We were driving around. I spotted these people. At the side of the road. Hey roll down the window. The window doesn’t roll down. Hey roll down the front window, hey you guuuuuuuys! Sadie. Roll roll roll roll roll up the window they went up the street. Quick go down that road see I they are still there. They weren’t. So we went back. I gotta go pee. And I was like just take me home you don’t know how to catch boys when there is only one street take me home. And I invited them in but they decided to go home. Then I asked did my alchi-hal arrive. Yes. Let’s go get it. Burp. So I got out my jacket and snow stuff and went out into the snow. I mean the weather. It wasn’t snowing. It was cold. We went to Alishas. She was there with her hubby. I was like can I have my booze, I gave her a twenty and she was blah blah blah and here is blah, and I was like can I have my beer. I mean liqour. Maybe we shouldn’t write this she reads mine every day. Then we took it and went home. (anything else?) not right now. Just save it, don’t publish it. (snore).

This is what I dictated to my personal assistant, Erin, the night of my sectretary's birthday party (it is word for word Erin declares). It was the first time I was able to drink since I've been in AK, and there was a steady supply of free alcohol, so of course I had to go! I came home and decided to add my wild night to my blog. I was busy eating popcorn so Erin was kind enough to translate my broken speech into a wonderful account of what transpired that night. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to let me know. Just as a reminder, I was influenced by beverages when I gave this speech.

The New Chicken Boy

Look out old chicken man. There's a new chicken boy in town! Woo-hoo!

Saturday Adventures

:o) No, Angie's not really doing what you're thinking. She's just having spitting problems and I was ordered to take the misleading picture. We were walking back from the library when this incident happened. I thought it'd be great to post something to embarass Angie. Also, Avery had a little walking problem on the way to our house later that day. While running with "boo-boo" he, uh, wiped out on the mean streets of Bethel. Fortunately, "boo-boo" wasn't hurt when Avery wiped out and splattered mud everywhere. We cracked up so bad 'cause we didn't expect him to do that. Thanks for providing the weekend entertainment Avery.

Fiddle Dance

I volunteerd at the NYO fiddle dance last week. It was a neat little experience. I thought it would be more fast paced-- like a slow Whiskey Barrel (some hot counrty bar that I miss dearly), but it was a slow two-step dance the whole night. It was cute seeing elders dancing with each other and little kids hopping around to their own rythm. I almost... Almost danced with an older gentleman, but I explained my work at the concession stand was too important for me to leave. *sigh* He wasn't an elder so I didn't feel bad for turning the offer down. I mean, if the lights were down a little, or if everyone wasn't watching your every move, then maybe I would have danced. But, there was good company and good music so I had a wonderful time. I thought it was also interesting that there was a wide range of people there. Elders, young kids, teenagers, and middle aged people were all there dancing. They all liked the same music, or was just there to see who made an appearance. But it's neat to see everyone together having fun whereas, if I were still in MI, there would have been two separate dances, or it would have been uncomfortable if there were a mix of ages together. Ya get my meaning? If not, then send a message and I'll explain more.

Lost and Found

So, after roller skating on Friday night, Angie, Erin, Avery, and I were walking home on a dusty road in Bethel, when all of a sudden.... I spied a treasure in the bushes. It was a thrown-away bike rusting in the ditch. I cried "Avery, go get, get it, you can, go get it, quick, before someone sees, go get it!" He did, with Erin's help. So, we brought the bike up and it's in pretty good shape. The chain was rusted and completely off the track, but we took it anyway. Yeah, we took it about 5 minutes down the road then ditched it again. We'll let someone else discover Bethel's wonderful treasures. We were watching the weather channel this morning and we're supposed to get some snow this week. Yuck, now I should really buy snowpants, gloves, hat, and goggles. I'm getting off topic. So, when you walk around Bethel, you notice that people throw everything out! I was walking down the boardwalk and I can find backpacks, shopping carts, baby seats, bikes, bottles, shirts, man everything! So, before you go to the AC store, take a walk down some Bethel roads and you can pick up a lot "o" things:) Naw, I'm joking-- don't pick up that nasty stuff. But, if there were any dumpster divers in Bethel like there are elsewhere (MI) then they would be in trash heaven.

Water

I just wanted everyone to see a picture of the water truck dumping off our weekly supply of H2O. When they dump it into our tank, all of that nasty stuff on the bottom starts to surface and float around. So, we truly see what kind of water we are drinking and washing our hair with. After a little while the muck stuff returns to the bottom until the next time we meet the water man.

Field Trip

I took my class and a few others to Meyer's Farm last Thursday. The kids had a wonderful time! Before we left, I asked them what they will look for, and they all said "bunnies and carrots." So, they saw carrots but I don't think bunnies live on the tundra. It was weird to see corn growing. It looked a little puny compared to corn at home, but I heard they were trying to grow it for the first time. The crop will probably be yuck, but at least they tried-- it'll be better next year. They had chickens in a little coop and they tried to get out when we opened the door. The rooster even cockadoodled for us:) It was muddy, rainy, but we all had fun. We even picked turnips to eat for snack when we got back to school. I never had a raw turnip before but it was yummy. We picked some cabbages and made coleslaw today for snack. I reccommend (for anyone visiting Bethel) to visis Meyer's Farm.

My Honey-Bunches-of-Oats

These are my boys. one of the things I will miss in MI will be the Red Wings. Their probably in Traverse City right now practicing for the pre-season stuff. This is why I shall renew my efforts to get cable:) Games usually start around 7pm MI time so I think it'll be 3pmish our time. That's not bad. I can always do work at home instead of staying late at school. If I ever go home for Christmas, one of my goals is to go to D-town for a game:) Smell the ice, wave at the kids on the zamboni, buy a Red Winger at the liquor stand, eat a greasy pizza, have beer spilled on you buy a drunk fan, etc. I can't wait! So, I'll say this now, if anyone wants to get me a Christmas present, you already have an idea of what I like:) No, not a Red Wings ticket, but their paraphanelia will work all the same.

p.s. That's my boy on the very left, # 13, Datsyuk. He's from Russia (I think)... and I'm closer to Russia than i'll ever be... hint hint, wink wink, nudge nudge.

My First Real World Pay Check

:) Yes, I finally got it. We had a surprise meeting after school. I was in the middle of testing a student for first grade when my principal came behind me, and said in his most principally voice, "Ms. McDaniel, I need to see you immediately." So, like a scared first year teacher, I told the student I'd be right back and to go make a mess of the toys in the back of my room. I walk into the room and everyone is there clapping as I and another fellow first year teacher walked in. He handed us our checks and congratulated us on making our college experience a successful one. I blushed and all that good stuff when attention is directed at you. We took a couple of pictures to share our joy. So, the second picture where I am staring at my check, figuring out how much money they have taken out, I sort of have a smile on my face, but I'm really trying to keep it together and not cry in front of everyone! *sigh* It's the biggest paycheck I've ever gotten, so I'd better be happy and shut up about it! Now, I get to go spend it on rent, food, and loans.

My New Blog!

Hello out there! I finally got one:) So, I've been watching the polycom for a very long time and my brain is fried... so I don't really know what to tell everyone. We've been sitting in the "Time Out" room at Kilbuck elementary to learn about the culture here... and my tush has permanently conformed to my hard plastic chair. I shouldn't write more because I need to pay attention. My next blog should be better:)